Means for actuating air brakes



(No Model.)

B. D. GRAPE.

MEANS FOR AGTUATING AIR BRAKES. No. 436,233. Patented Sept. 9. 1390.

V/ .e a /6 .2

WITNESSES: INVENTOR- BY /A Q 5 jaw t ATSTUBNEY .UNiITED' STATE-s PATENT 'oFmE- EDWIN D. GRAFF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS'FOR ACTUATING AlR-BRAKESQ,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent no. 43 ,233, dated September 9, 1890 Application filed May 19, 1890.

Serial No. 352,358. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN D. GRAFF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Means for Actuating Air- Brakes, of which the following is a specifica- ,the locomotive or any of the cars is derailed and while the train is still intact or in a continuous unbroken condition.

My invention consists in certain details of arrangement and combinations of devices, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a locomotive embodying my invention, part of one of the driving-wheels being broken away to afiord a better view. Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a railway-car having my invention applied thereto in a modified form. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section thereof, taken at the line 00 5c of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the small arrows.

In the several views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of reference.

Referring to Figs.1 and 2, 1 designates the truck-frame, and 2 the driving-wheels.'

3 represents an air-pipe extending from a reservoir (not shown) and communicating with a cylinder 4, which contains a piston, whose rod 5 is connected toa series of levers 6, that are in turn jointed to two levers 7, which are pivoted each to a brake-shoe 8, all in about the usual manner.

To the air-pipe 3, or a branch thereof at some suitable locality, is fitted a cock or'valve I 9, provided with an arm 10, to which is pivoted one end of a link 11, whose other end is pivoted to the upper end of a lever 12, fulcrumed at 13, and extending down to about a level with the flange of the wheel and preferably slightly below the top surface of the railway-track 14. This lever 12,1 prefer to make comparatively instant the locomotive leaves the track the lower end of the lever strikes the ground and is forced rear wardly, the upper end of the lever moving forwardly at the same time, and through the link 11 and armlO operating to turn and open the cook or valve and allow the compressed air in the pipe 3 to escape, or in a vacuum system allowing the air to enter.

Immediately this occurs the piston in the brakepylinder operates to apply the brakeshoes to the wheels of the locomotive, and simultaneously the brake-shoes of all of the cars of the train are caused to act upon their respective wheels, it being supposed herein that the Westinghouse or other approved continuous-brake system is used upon the train.

Referring to Figs. 3 and at, an arm or lever 12 is shown on each side of the car, and these are connected together by a rock-shaft 15, mounted in bearings depending from the truck-frame. Upon said rock-shaft is a rocker-arm 16, whose upper free end occupies a slot 17 in the arm 10 of the cook or valve 9, which is fitted in the air-pipe 3. In this modification of my invention I prefer to have a pair of the arms or levers '12 near each end of the carand each pair inclined in opposite directions, so as to provide for the actuation of the air-brake in either direction of movement of the car.

In operation the car is assumed to be run ning in the direction of the arrow, and in the event of its derailment either the pin will break or the staple will pull out or break, thus permitting the spring to act upon and 5 open the valve or cock in the air-pipe, which operation, it will be understood, will produce an instantaneous application of the brakes.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a means whereby the moment to the locomotive or any of the cars of a train is derailed the air-brake mechanism is automatically actuated in a manner to apply the brakeshoes to stop the train quite as eifeotively as if the air-brakes were set in operation by the engineer in the usual way.

By providing a means for automatically throwing the air-brakes into operation at the instant one of the vehicles of the train leaves the track, instead of relying upon the engi- 2o neer or other train-man or upon the breaking apart or detachment of the cars, a great (lesideratum is effected, for the train may be stopped much quicker after derailment, and hence withless liability of loss of life or property,

I do not limit the use of my invention in connection with the \Vestinghouse air-brake system, as it may be employed equallywell with any other system of air-brakes.

;What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wheeled vehicle or train of vehicles, the combination, with the air-pipe of a suitable air-brake system, of a valve or cook, an approximately-vertical arm or lever having a horizontal pivot or fulcrum and having its lower end depending in proximity to the earth, and a link or arm permanently connecting the said lever to the valve or cook, whereby upon derailment of the train the lower end of the lever may be vibrated rearwardly longitudinally of the train by contact with the earth and the upper end thereof thrown forwardly and by the link or arm to turn or move the cock or valve in the air-pipe, as set forth.

2. In a wheeled vehicle, the combination, with a suitable air-brake system, of two valves or cocks in the air-pipe of the vehicle and two depending'arms or levers having horizontal pivots or fulcrums and inclined in opposite directions and connected to operate said valves or cocks in substantially the manner set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 17th day of May, A. D. 1890.

EDWIN D. GRAFF.

WVitnesses:

ABRAHAM M. GRAFF, M. E. Lens.

i l i It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 436,233, granted September 9, 1890, upon the application of Edwin D. Graft, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Means for Actuating Air-Brakes, errors appear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: After line inserted, to wit: The operation of the same as that above described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Should the car jump the trash, the cook or valve 9 would be instantly opened by the movements of the arms or levers and their connections, and the braheshoes would be applied to the wheels by the action of the friction within its cylinder and by the movements of the brakelevers and brake-beams. The paragraph commencing with line 104, page 1, and terminating with line 7, page 2, should be stricken out, and in line 44, page 2, the words positive connection operate should be inserted after the word arm; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein to conform to the papers pertaining to the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, conntersigned, and sealed this 14th day of October, A. D. 1890.

[SEAL.] CYRUS BUSSEY,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

Oountersigned:

O. E. MITCHELL,

Commissioner of Patents.

103, page 1, the following paragraph should be the contrivance shown at Figs. 3 and 4 is substantially 

